Ruckmen will be the players most affected by the substitute rule with clubs more inclined to take an extra running player as their sub, but Hampson is working hard to ensure the changes won't force him out of the side.
"In the past I think being able to play up forward was a big upside to your game as a ruckman," Hampson said.
"But now it will be almost essential that you have the ability to push forward and become a dangerous target.
"I'm trying to work on the forward side of my game so that's something I might be able to do more in the future. I did it a little bit last year and I think it went okay, but I've still got a lot to learn."
The 2011 season looms as a big one for the athletically-gifted Queenslander who has delighted, tantalised and teased in his 35 games since joining the club as the 17th overall pick at the 2006 NAB AFL Draft.
He is the quickest player at Carlton despite his 201cm frame and is capable of some breath-taking feats on the footy field, but he chuckles when it's suggested he can also be one of the more frustrating players for fans to watch.
"I know where people are coming from because there are times when it's just not working for me," he admits. "I'm not oblivious to that. It's just about ironing out the kinks in my game that are causing that to happen so I can become more consistent.
"I know that when I'm up and about and my body is right I know there are not a lot of other bigger guys who can run and jump like I can which is what I've got to use to my advantage.
"Marking is something that I've been working on a lot over the past year and this pre-season, so I think that will be something that I can have over other big guys.
"I know what I want out of this pre-season. I want to get my fitness right up because it just wasn't there when I came back to play last season."
With the hamstring issues that cruelled his last preparation behind him, Hampson is gearing up for a big 2011, but he knows he'll have his hands full trying to improve on his 2010 tally of eight games despite the departure of Sam Jacobs to Adelaide.
"Even though Sammy's gone I don't think we're going to be playing three ruckmen so there's still going to be plenty of competition," he says.
"I think I've just got to make sure I tick all the boxes in the pre-season and go from there."
